resources

Ascomycete Fungi of North America (University of Texas Press, 2014) is a complete reference for this often overlooked branch of mycology. Michael Beug, along with Alan and Arleen Bessette, has put together a beautiful and useful guide, which is also instructive and contains a picture key to the major ascomycetes. If you love all fungi, this is a must for your library.

The Kingdom of Fungi (Princeton University Press, 2013) by Danish mycologist Jens H. Petersen is an amazing book from the first page to the last. Not only are the images breathtaking, but the graphics, accessible descriptions of the role of fungi, and the detail about fungi's place in our ecology are a wonderful body of knowledge in one place.

Dr. Dennis Desjardin's new book, California Mushrooms (Timber Press, 2015) will supplant Arora's Mushrooms Demystified for a long time. Good descriptions and great photographs of 650 species. Originally scheduled for release in November, 2014; now available in June, 2015.

Mushrooms Demystified (Ten Speed Press, 1986), by David Arora. Often referred to as "the mushroom hunter's bible." A weighty tome leavened with humor, with extensive keys, descriptions, photographs and more, geared to the fleshy fungi of the western states. A must-have for all serious mushroomers.

All That the Rain Promises, and More: A Hip Pocket Guide to Western Mushrooms (Ten Speed Press, 1991), by David Arora. An excellent book for beginners, readily carried into the field. Contains photos and descriptions of the most commonly encountered fleshy fungi of the Western states, along with the interesting people who hunt them, and the art that is produced when (wo)men and mushrooms meet. Highly informative and engaging.

Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest (Timber Press Field Guide, 2009), by Steve Trudell and Joe Ammirati.
An essential, portable guide to mushroom hunting in the Pacific Northwest. One of the goals of this book, well-met, was to picture and describe mushrooms that are not commonly shown in other field guides, as well as to limit the species covered to those for which the authors had good color photographs.

North American Mushrooms: A Field Guide to Edible and Inedible Fungi (Falconguide, 2006) by Orson and Hope Miller. The newest book on mushrooms of North America. An excellent compendium of prominent, North American fungi, with photos and descriptions on the same page, and updated latin names (there is an especially nice section on amanitas). This is a great book for those of us who travel outside of California in the pursuit of mushrooms. Dr. Miller tragically died shortly after publication of this book, but he leaves behind a fine legacy.

Decomposition, An Anthology of Fungi-Inspired Poems (Lost Horse Press, 2010), edited by Renee Roehl and Kelly Chadwick, is a must for every mushroomer with an artist bent.
"Gathered from the root-zones of many different trees, knife-scraped from rock-face, lifted from dung, spore-flung into air, these gathered mushroom poems offer undomestic, distinctive discoveries to all who choose to join the effort to find them."
—Jane Hirshfield.

FUNGI Magazine explores the world of mycology from many different angles. With regular features ranging from toxicology to medicinal mushrooms; from photography to book reviews, FUNGI will inform and entertain everyone from beginner to professional mycologist. Four issues per year plus one special issue.